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Chapter 5

(Rylan)

I watched as Aaron was taken away in the back of a police cruiser. He still had blood all over his hands as the officer cuffed him. Blood that belonged to the man who was trying to assault me.

A shiver runs through my body as I relive what happened in that storage closet. As I was telling my side of the story to the police, Aaron refused to let go of my hand. Now that he is gone, I feel all of those emotions rush back to me as I drive home.

Quinn offered to let me stay at his place, but I just wanted to go home. I need to be alone so I can break down with no one to see me cry. I need to be alone to work through all the things that I am feeling right now.

Anger is among those feelings.

Why did this happen to me again? Twice in less than a year. What is it about me that drove two separate men to try to force themselves on me?

Why me?

First, that Paulson fucker thought I was a prime target for his unwanted advances. I would have had sex with him willingly after we had been dating for awhile, but it was too soon, and I told him no. That wasn’t good enough for him, it seems.

Then that bastard Heath just couldn’t take no for an answer when I didn’t want to go on another date with him. He decided that he was going to make me pay for that by taking what he wanted by force. He chose his timing well, too.

It seems like no matter what I do, either withhold sex or give it up, I just seem to piss men off.

Then there is the one man who has that panty-dropping charisma that I would give it up for with no question. Today, he was my fierce protector. It scared me how brutal he was with Heath, yet I know he would never hurt me like that.

I sigh as I pull into my driveway. The first thing I want is a nice, hot shower to wash Heath’s blood off me. Then a very large glass of wine.

After I unlock my front door, I toss my keys in the little glass bowl I have for them on the hall table. I drop my bag next to the small bench I have by the door, then strip as I walk down the hall towards my bedroom.

I leave a trail of shoes and clothing down the hall. All I want is to feel the heat of the shower relax the stress of today’s events. I will deal with the fallout tomorrow.

Once I hop into the shower, I stand with my back to the spray of water for a while before I wash my body. After I am clean, I sit on the floor of the shower and let the floodgate of my emotions open.

I lean my head down on my knees and just cry.

I thought I was doing well after what Paulson tried to do. I wasn’t raped and got away from him with minor injuries. I was lucky compared to his other victims.

As it turns out, I am not doing so well with it. I moved into a gated community that has armed security at the gate and a patrolling security team at night. Yet I don’t feel entirely safe in my own home because that bastard is now on the run. Not knowing where he is makes me terrified that I will find him in my closet waiting to finish what he started.

There is a combat knife under my pillow at all times and a 9mm Glock pistol in my nightstand drawer. Well, there are guns strategically all over the house, actually. When I hid them, I felt like it was a tad overkill. Today, I am happy that I did.

I hid one in a holster taped to the underside of my kitchen counter, and another in the hollow book on the table beside my couch in the living room. Then there is a small 25mm in my bathroom storage cabinet in my box of tampons.

I am sure there are more places I could hide a gun in my house, but I felt four was enough. Knowing where they are and that I can get to them all easily makes me feel better about living alone. I like my personal space and hate having roommates.

After the events of today, I may talk to some of the nurses at work to see if anyone needs a roommate. I have a spare room and plenty of space. If we worked opposite shifts, it would be perfect.

I have no idea how long I sat on the shower floor, but the feeling of two strong arms wrapping around my body caused my fighting instincts to instantly kick in. I started to struggle until I smelled his cologne.

“Shhh, relax.” Aaron’s voice in my ear makes me feel safe and angry as hell at the same time.

“How the fuck did you get in here?”

“Shhh. Just let me hold you for a minute, Ry. Then you can yell and hit me all you want. Just, please, let me hold you.”

The depth of emotion in his voice makes me lean back into him. It is then that I realize he is still fully clothed, but I am stark naked. Holy shit I am naked in my shower with his arms wrapped around my waist.

Part of me wants to panic and get out of the shower as fast as I can so I can put clothes on. The other part of me, the one that wants nothing more than to feel his strong, powerful arms wrapped around me like they are right now, wants to stay just like this forever. I will give him a few minutes, then I will get away from him.

“When I saw what was happening in that closet today, I didn’t know it was you that he was attacking. The minute I saw your face, something in my head shut off, and the rational side of my brain just quit. All I wanted was to make him regret ever touching you.”

His voice was barely loud enough for me to hear, but I heard every word he said. I heard the tremble in his voice as he spoke about what happened today. Where the hell did that come from? He is always so...

Wait a damn minute here.

“Why are you here, Aaron?”

“Please just give me a few more minutes. Knowing that you are safe makes me feel better, but hearing you cry makes me wish I would have killed him.” His grip around my waist tightens as he speaks.

For once, I am speechless around him, so I just shut my mouth and let him hold me until he feels better. When the water starts to turn cold, he shifts behind me and then loosens his hold on me. The second his arms are no longer around my waist, I feel lost and alone.

“Let’s get out and get dressed. You can berate me all you want once you are fully clothed. I will go make you some coffee while you get dressed.” He says this as he stands up and steps out of the shower.

“Do not go through my house dripping wet. I am sure I have a pair of sweats in one of my dresser drawers that you can wear.”

He doesn’t say anything more as he leaves the bathroom. That is more in line with the broody Aaron I know. How he was in the shower is something new. Something I could get used to but don’t dare hope for anymore.

Harden your heart against him, woman, I tell myself as I get out of the shower and wrap a thick green fuzzy towel around my body. I stop in my tracks when I walk into my bedroom. What I see takes my breath away.

Aaron is standing at the foot of my bed, pulling on a pair of sweats. His wet skin is glistening in the dim light coming in from the window. I feel like drooling as I watch his muscles bunch and release as he gets dressed.

He is a very handsome man, but what caught me off guard was the massive tattoo on his back. That is an amazing piece of art right there. It also shows his war with himself. At least, that is how I interpret it.

Across his left shoulder blade and onto his arm a little, there is a tattered angel wing. On his right shoulder blade and arm is a fiery devil wing. They twined together all down his back in a bone tattoo of a spine. On the small part of his back there are burning feathers, wisps of smoke, and cinders.

That must have hurt like a bitch to get done. How many sessions did he sit for that? It was not on him the last time I saw him without a shirt. That was years ago, so I shouldn’t be surprised that he has added more ink to his body since then.

I must have made a nose because he turned around to face me. He has a t-shirt in one hand, as he does. Where did he get that? That is when I spot the duffle bag on the end of my bed.

Is he planning on staying here tonight?

Oh hell no.

“You are not sleeping here tonight!” I tell him as I walk to my dresser to get some clean clothes.

“I am staying here tonight. That is not up for debate. Where I sleep is up to you.” With that, he walks out of my room like he owns the place.

Anger and lust war within me as I rush to get dressed. I don't pay any attention to the clothes I grab. All I care about is getting dressed fast so I can tell him exactly where he will be sleeping tonight.

It will be in his own damn bed, in his own goddamn house.

After I am dressed, I stomp out of my bedroom and then towards the kitchen, where I can smell the coffee that Aaron is making. Great, he is making himself right at home here. Who the fuck does he think he is to just come right into my home like this?

“There is no way you are staying the night. What makes you think you are welcome to do that anytime you feel like it, just because I let you that one night? This is NOT your house, and I am not your damn wife.” I scream at him as I watch him pull mugs out of my cabinet and then sit them on the counter next to the coffee pot.

He is silent while he pours coffee into both mugs. More silence as he walks to the refrigerator to grab the creamer. He remains silent as he picks up both mugs and walks into the living room.

My anger boils over at his silence.

I follow him into the living room and watch as he sits the mugs on the small coffee table. The haunted look in his eyes when he finally faces me makes me inhale sharply. Why do I let this man do this to me? He gets past my armor every damn time with those soulful brown eyes.

“What is going on here, Aaron?”

“Come sit with me, please.”

“Will you tell me what is going through your head if I do?

He nods his head, then sits down on the sofa, but angles his body so that he will be facing me when I sit down. With a slightly angry sigh, I walk to the sofa and plop down, then mimic his position. He stares at me for a moment, then looks down at his hands.

If I didn’t know better, I would think he was nervous. I scoff inwardly at the thought. Why would he be nervous to talk to me? He is the one that always pushes me away. What does he have to be nervous about?

“Why did you come here, Aaron? What is going on with you?”

“I almost killed a man today because he was attacking you. All I wanted when Quinn posted my bail was to come here to make sure you were alright. You are not, are you?”

The look of concern he gives me causes me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I am fine, Aaron. There is no need for you to stay here. I can take care of myself.”

Before I have a chance to react, he reaches out and grabs my ankle, then yanks hard. He pulls me down the couch until I am lying on my back. The next thing I know, he has me pinned to the cushions with his body on mine and his hands on either side of my head.

Panic rushes through me as his face contorts into something I have never seen from him. Fear. He is afraid. Why?

“You may be fine physically, and you may be able to take care of yourself, but you are not okay, or you wouldn’t have been crying in the shower when I got here.”

Fair point.

“I will be fine." I correct my statement as I look him in the eye.

“How many guns do you have hidden around your house other than the one in the kitchen?”

Why the hell did he snoop in my kitchen? I close my eyes to avoid his intense gaze. He isn’t wrong at all, but I don’t want to admit it.

“Ry, you don’t hide guns in your home if you are just fine. I am staying here with you, or you can come stay at my place until Paulson is back in police custody and we know Heath will stay in jail for the foreseeable future.”

My eyes fly open as he says this. Tears spring from my eyes as anger boils in my stomach. The audacity of this man. Who the hell does he think he is?

“Get off me now!” I scream at him.

“Not until you accept my offer.”

I tried to move my knee up to hit him in the balls, but he moved so that he was now between my legs. My heart and body sing with his close proximity. Traitors.

I can’t have him in my home if I am trying to move on with my life. Being so close to him will only weaken my resolve. Yet, I would feel safer with him here or with me staying at his place.

“Tell me, why is it such a big deal for you?” I ask him as I fight the desire to grind my core against him.

Instead of answering me, he cups my cheek with one hand, then captures my lips with his. This kiss is not like all the others we have shared. Those were rough and full of passion. This one is tender and my undoing.

He owns me.

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